Things to do once you purchased your new A

[Mitch]

So this thread deals with things that should be done once you get your new car home.

"Again please respond in posts not messages for easier copying to the tech area later"

I'll start with at the bare minimum check all the main fluids, trans, differential, engine and coolant. Many folks are in such a hurry from excitement to drive the car, but if the rear or trans is empty from a slow leak over a period of time your going to do some major damage.
The right thing to do is change out all the fluids....

[DaWizard]

Take your favorite decent pressure grease gun and the Lube chart and attack each lube point vigorously.

ALWAYS check the lights!! Mine arrived with a burnt harness and not even a shadow of the brake light switch.

[Rowdy]

Lube as mentioned above and then give it a good inspection of safety items followed by a shakedown cruise. Put it through its paces and try to get a feel for issues that need addressed. Be prepared for this ending badly if it has been a trailerqueen or only driven in parades. Not all restorations are equal. Rod

[Mitch]

Check the front end for slop, pull the wheels and check the brakes and at the same time repack the front and rear wheel bearings.
(A common place for steering slop is the sector to pitman arm connection. Ck this with wheels on the ground while someone works the steering wheel for you)

[Beauford]

Check your checking account first and foremost!!

[Captndan]

You should have done this before the purchase.

[BudP]

Check for gas leak by looking for discoloration on either side of the firewall.
Disconnect ground cable until you have inspected the wiring.

[Mitch]

Air the tires including the spare

[BNCHIEF]

Put mine up on jack stands, pulled the radiator(replaced) front end good got rid of white lithium grease repacked wheel bearings new brake shoes and drum front and rear and new grease seals got all shocks working no slop anywhere. rebuilt and sealed steering gear. fixed horn pulled gas tank cleaned and reinstalled with new welt. Went thru tranny new bearings sealed the whole thing up. New bumpers and added oil pressure and water temp gauges. Rebuilt motor balanced, inserts and no oil leaks on this car.

[Mitch]

Some common sore spots that should be checked are the distributor lower plate wire for condition. If you have the lower wireless plate you might want to consider going back to the wired style. The cheap repo ignition switches are notorious for intermittent contact when switched to the on position. ( the fake look alike pop out's from Nurex are a good quality and choice).

[Beauford]

Thank goodness I have a NuRex

[Mitch]

Don't fill the radiator tank to the top as it will upchuck out the overflow and make you think your overheating, not to mention a mess. The proper coolant level is just at the level of the baffle plate in the upper tank

[Big hammer]

Get to the DMV and get your paper work taken care of :-)
Next go to the insurance company
After all the maintenance listed above
have some real fun and get it on the road, cars that sit need to be driven!

[Ruth]

I didn't see it mentioned. Check for loose bolts, nuts, fasteners. Both of my rear axle nuts were loose as was one of the front spring perches. Make it a routine to check fasteners while working on your car.

[Mitch]

It's a great idea to purchase a few of these books:

The ""Service Bulletins"'
This was the ford shop manual back when the cars were produced. They are actually a continuation from the Model T era that's why the page numbers do not start at #1. There are various copies of these available on the market, so some are an easier read (size wise) than others but they all contain approx the same information. Out of all the versions the Ben Staub is the nicest which has large glossy pages. These come up on ebay for a about $125.00 and IMO it's well worth it. Second in line would be the big green book that has a picture of the flat head V-8 on the cover. ( i have no idea why). And then there are the smaller ones like the little yellow one by Dan Post. The information contained in the service bulletins goes over many of the mechanical super-sessions and also general repair information about the car.

The RG & JS "" Restoration Guide lines & Judging Standards""
These are available from one of the two national organizations MARC or MAFCA. If you have a driver or a points car this book is a must have. These show the correct assembly and parts for all the cars and the finishes etc..plus much more...These guidelines had multiple revisions which are included in the purchase along with a nice 3 ring binder. The guidelines have been compiled from years of research and effort by the gurus in the hobby and the information is nationally recognized.

The Les Andrews Mechanics handbook volume 1 (red) & volume 2 (green). Out of the two i feel the red one is more important but that is just my opinion. A word of caution about these is they were never revised regarding errors so be very careful of what you read into. One example is certain listed torque specs being way to high. I have the red one and it's a must have reference when doing mechanical work on these cars.

Official ""Paint & Refinish guide"" This book is also available from one of the national clubs and contains the actual colored paint chips. This book provides information regarding the proper color schemes etc..

This is a quick run down and others may have more recommendations...

[Tom Wesenberg]

Two more "must have" books are the owner's manual, and the Parts Price List. The PPL list all the chassis parts, and related nuts and bolts, etc.

[pAAt]

A preamble to all of this would be to have a dry, rodent free, home for your baby to age more gracefully. IMO but not mandatory at all !!

[Tom Wesenberg]

Things to do once you purchased your new A

Well, the thing to do is enjoy driving it all around the countryside as you look for a nice Studebaker to drive. LOL

[pAAt]

or maybe a 49 F1 with a flat head 6 like my old days !

[Mitch]

Here is what the lube chart looks like as mentioned in post #2. Some lube points take a few drops of oil such as the throttle linkage, generator etc ,etc..

23E97F38-F531-4E66-80D2-B6647E063B9FL0001.jpg

[Tom Wesenberg]

That lube chart Mitch just pictured is great to hang on the garage wall. I bought a large wood frame at Goodwill for mine.

[Mitch]

If anyone has a better clearer version of it please post it

[Big hammer]

[Tom Wesenberg]

I bought my lubrication poster at one of the first Model A national meets I attended. I also bought the poster size Tudor cutaway picture. I think both can be bought from many of the dealers.